This sad holiday season we didn’t have the brewing capacity to make our favorite seasonal brew, the widely feared BrownShugga’ Ale. You see we had a couple of really good years (thank you very much) and so heading into this season while we are awaiting the January delivery of a new brewhouse we are jammin’ along brewing 80 barrels of IPA and PILS and such every 3 hours. A couple of months back we realized that since we can only brew a mere 60 barrels of Shugga’ every 5 hours, that we were seriously screwed. For every case of Shugga’ brewed, we’d short 3 cases of our favorite daily beers. It’s a drag. This year, we brewed something that we think is also cool and brews more like our daily brews. The new brewhouse will help insure this kind of failure never happens again. It’s a mess that we can not brew our BrownShugga’ this year and we suck for not doing it. There is nothing cool about screwing this up this badly and we know it. Maybe we can sue our own sorry selves. There is no joy in our hearts this holiday and the best we can hope for is a quick and merciful end. F*@& us. This totally blows. Whatever. We freaking munch moldy donkey butt and we just want it to be all over... So this substitute beer is a ‘Cereal Medley’ of Barley, Rye, Wheat, and Oats…. Full of complexishness from the 4 grains, and weighing in at 7.85% abv, Then joyously dry-hopped for that big aroma and resinous hop flavor.

Red Solo Cup Tour of Grant Park - Beer 2 of 4 - Split this with my wife. As it was drank from a Solo Cup, the appearance rating should be taken with a grain of salt. Pours a rich gold with a solid head, despite its pedestrian vessel. Smells of citrus. Perfectly carbonated palate. There is a very pleasing sweet flavor accompanying the hop finish. An all around excellent beer.

Pours a bit lighter and crisper than expected. The frothy white head doesn’t stick around for long. Hops completely dominate the aroma. Yeah, a double IPA for sure. Hop oils assault the palate. Grapefruit and pine, mostly. Hint of heat from the 7.8% ABV. Rye comes through a bit in the finish. But this is all about the hops. Surprisingly, it’s only 65 IBUs. Thought this would push closer to 100.
Hop heads, get it!

Please hold the scallions. Pours amber with an off white head. Aroma has a bite of scallion, pine, lemon, and slightly citrus. Taste is pine, slight malt character, and citrus. Finish is really nice: crisp, clean, and dry. It gets better as it warms.

Muted pine, tropical fruit, citrus, and floral aromas. Flavor is sweet pine into citrus zest and a bit of spicy rye. There’s some grain on the back end, rounded out by a crisp bitterness and a lingering sweet flavor that isn’t cloying, at all. I like the balance and the body of this one. It’s not overpowering, nor underwhelming. A nice, pleasant middle ground with a lot going for it.

Pours a clear golden with a very thin cap of head that dissipates quickly. Decent amount of carbonation that runs off quickly. Nose is awesome. Very citrusy and sweet with grapefruit, tangerine and sour apple notes. Mouth is very bitter and hoppy with a slight maltiness. Surprised to see only 60 IBU’s. Citrus notes, mainly grapefruit, shine through again. A strong finish that leaves a slight stickiness in your mouth. An awesome IPA. My favorite beer from Lagunitas.

pours golden with a lasting white head and lacing. very fresh, floral aroma with a hint of syrup. taste is pine and citrus with some sweetness initially and a floral bitterness at the end. finish is long lasting. the body is on the thin side but with this much taste, i can forgive it.

Hazy golden with a thin laceful fluffy white head. Aroma is strong with notes of citric rind and floral resinous leafy hops, with plenty of lupulin. But mostly a sort of orange rind nose. Flavor is pretty complex with wheat and oat and rye malt building a weird cereal malt semi-earthy sweet base, built upon by a quick swift kick in the butt of lupulin-full leafy hops, grapefruit zest, orange peel, and a touch of fresh spring grass. Bitterness is strong but suitable next to a weird but enjoyable grain bill of rye and oats and wheat.

Pours a clear medium golden color with 1 finger head that dissipates leaving heavy lacing. Prominent toasted malt flavor hits you with moderate pine > cittrus hops. You can taste the rye grain. Medium to full bodied, chewy. Long, smooth, but bitter finish. This is a incredibly well balanced IPA that still have plenty of hops, but has a good malt backbone.

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